How To DRAW Your WordPress Theme And Make It Work

29 | Posted In Technical by David

Everybody with a blog wants to have a nice looking design.

It can also be one of the most frustrating things in the world – especially for people who have no idea how to code. Perhaps you are familiar with this one. ;)

Well, there is a way where you can DRAW your theme. Practically like painting it on screen. No coding necessary. Just drag and drop, then setting up some settings.

The way you can do it is using the new release of Headway Theme – version 3. It is going to be released in about a week (as of this writing). Here is a quickie video to show you a bit of what’s coming…

This video only scratches the surface. I didn’t get that deep into the customization options. Plus, I didn’t show you the granular control which is possible. For example, do you want a custom post template on one of your most popular posts in order to highlight a related affiliate offer? No problem – because you can specify custom layouts for any single post, single page – anything on your blog.

Pick Up YOUR Copy Of Headway Theme and DRAW Your Site!   <— Click!

Update – Check This Out

OK, I know my video is super cool and all, but I just found out that the Headway folks have put out an “official” preview video of Headway 3. Behold…

Pick Up YOUR Copy Of Headway Theme and DRAW Your Site!

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  • http://www.theskooloflife.com Srinivas Rao

    Wow. Grant told me the new version was really going to kick ass. That’s pretty sweet. I’ve been a HEadway user for a long time and I”m a big fan of it. 

  • Kathryn Kistner

    This is a particularly good deal if you are (or want to be) a developer, or run multiple Headway sites. Forever upgrades and support.

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    Absolutely.

  • Anonymous

     I love Headway. It helped me learn the fundamentals of HTML/CSS, and now I am able to build my own custom WordPress themes.

    Without Headway, I wouldn’t be the web developer I am today. Totally recommend this for y’all.

  • http://tomakefast.com PJ Brunet

    Looks like this will be popular, one of my clients had this installed yesterday and I had never seen it.  But what does the code look like?  Is it legible? That’s the problem with WYSIWYG web editors since 1994.  If a designer can’t understand what’s going on in the source code, then you’re essentially locked in and they have you by the balls, they can keep raising the price or changing the interface and now your investment is tied to this 3rd party you hate.  This is why I use spreadsheets when possible instead of dropping my business onto Gilligan’s island with (SaaS) concrete shoes.  When you hire a designer that’s writing legible code, anyone can open up a text editor and figure out what’s going on–you can fire your designer tomorrow (if you need to) and get a new one because web standards are basically universal.  Dreamweaver is one of the few that survived, I think because they did a “dual view” where you can still see the source code, right?  (I haven’t used Dreamweaver in over 10 years so I couldn’t tell you for sure ;-)  Anyway, this is why Flash is dying too–these WYSIWYGs look harmless at first–but have we learned our lesson yet?  Absolute power corrupts absolutely!

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    That’s only relevant if one has to deal with the raw source code of a pre-existing design. That’s not the case with something like Headway. You’re talking about settings, not source code. The entire point of Headway is not to deal with source code.

    If one did hire a designer to pimp out Headway, then the places where one puts custom CSS would all take standard CSS just like any other place. With a framework like this, you don’t modify it by modifying Headway itself… you’re just modifying the presentation layer via the GUI and documented hooks, etc.

  • Scott

    David I hope you posted this link as an affiliate link (perhaps headway does not do affiliates I don’t know).  I would like for you to benefit from me buying this.  Your post came at an amazing time as just today I decided to make commitment on a premium theme and your post sealed the deal on  on Headway. 

    Thanks David!

  • http://bestbloggingtools.com Faizan Elahi

    This looks great for bloggers like me who don’t know anything about coding.

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    Yes, my URL is an affiliate link. :-) Thanks for asking. :-)

  • http://blogforprofit.com Grant Griffiths

    PJ

    Headway comes with a live CSS editor so you can customize to your hearts content.  As for the code.  Headway has very clean code and kick butt SEO.  

  • http://blogforprofit.com Grant Griffiths

    David, thanks for your review of our upcoming offering in Headway 3.0  If any of your readers have any questions, I am always happy to answer them. Just post them in the comments.  Thanks!!!

  • http://www.tonyteegarden.com Tony Teegarden

    And Yes, Me LOOOOVES me some Headway :)

  • Kathryn Kistner

    Grant, I do have a question.
    I’m considering getting the upgrade, bit I need one question answered, first.

    I have the personal Headway, now. How many personal websites can I use it on? (I have some conflicting information about this; it was probably a typo.)

    Thanks!

  • Kathryn Kistner

    Grant, I lied. I need another question answered.

    If I decide to get the upgrade, can I purchase it through David’s affiliate link? The original was not purchased through his link.

    Thanks, again.

  • http://blogforprofit.com Grant Griffiths

    You sure can and please do.

  • http://blogforprofit.com Grant Griffiths

    Under our current TOS, you get support for up to two sites. You can build as many as you want however.  

  • http://twitter.com/ferodynamics PJ Brunet

    Yes true, there’s always that !important tag to override CSS ;-)

    I think you will find a lot of people attracted to this idea because you can imagine there’s 1000s of haggard Dreamweaver designers out there upset they can’t just load WordPress into Dreamweaver and make it work, LOL.   What, no CSS editor?!   Funny.  If you talk to web designers these days, most of them will tell you they’re fairly confident with basic PHP scripting–I’d say WordPress had a role in that.  

    I can also see this as a way to create quick mockups and get a foundation approved before investing a ton of time and then find out a structure is not acceptable.Definitely there’s blood in the water and the sharks (“Premium” themes) are closing in for the kill.   Clash of the titans!  I love the comments in the code of these premium themes: “Use the damn hooks & make a child theme beotch, or I’ll throw a chair at you like Steve Ballmer.  There can be only one Premium theme, bow to my power!”  I personally find it offensive–we’ll see who wins!  

  • http://deeannrice.com Dee Ann Rice

    David,

    I have never seen headway before but like what I see here.

    I really like the idea of being able to design my own template without having to learn something like Dream Weaver.  I actually know how to use Dream Weaver is I have to but I hate using it because it is complicated to me.  I keep thinking I should take a course on it but this would solve the problem.

    In a response to another comment I read that the code is clean and that the CSS can be altered.  That is great.  Will have to see about getting this but it may not happen be for the release date.  Guess I will just have to pay the yearly fees.

    Thanks for the review.

    Dee Ann

  • Jim

    LOL What a naive question. ALL his links are ALWAYS affiliate links

  • Kathryn Kistner

    Grant, what kinds of things would we need support for? Which two sites could we get support for? Just the ones that needed it? Or the first two we used Headway on?

    Would it be “risky” to build sites WITHOUT support available? I don’t know what I don’t know, and I don’t even know what questions to ask. Everything is new to me. Thanks for the education.

  • http://blogforprofit.com Grant Griffiths

    Kathryn-

    Actually with Headway 3.0 coming on the 25th, you get unlimited domains for each license level.  So your question is basically mood then. 

    Thanks!!!

  • http://www.mortgagebible.org Mortgage Rates

    WordPress made Blogging so much easier. Thanks for sharing.

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    Typically, if I can make something an affiliate link, I will. :-)

  • http://cashsharp.com Alta Martinez

    Listen to this…Neighbor’s girlfriend makes 68 hourly on the internet. She has been fired from work for 11 months but last month her paycheck was 7958 USD just working on the internet for a few hours. Read about it on this web site…. CashSharp.com

  • http://twitter.com/ITSergioFelix Sergio Felix

    I am SO getting this, thanks for the review David!

    Sergio

  • http://www.pctips4all.com Scott

    David,

    This is sweet!!!  Some of the themes are such a pain and I have been in IT for a long time.  Thanks for sharing!
    I love the background music!  I have played this song on drums many times with my band.  :-)

    Have a great week!
    Scott

  • http://www.drillsetc.com Hockey Drills

    WordPress is great and your article helps with the customization process. Thanks!

  • Gerson Perez

    Hi David,
    Thanks for this great tool, I am seriously considering buyin Headways (of course, I’ll do it through the person who introduced it to me: You).  But, do you know where they went?  It is December the 2nd, and since Novembere the 25th, we know anything about them… did they go on vacation? Dis their CEO quit? or maybe the entire team?… just kidding, I can imagine how crazy they are of not being able to launch their new version after a deadline had been announced.  So, if you have any ideas of the “real” new launch date, will be very much appreciated.  Greetings from Mexico.

  • http://blogforprofit.com Grant Griffiths

    We launched Headway 3.0 only to our customers and turned the site off basically while we give our undivided attention to our customers and 3.0  

    Because Headway 3.0 is a completely new product, and our current customers get the upgrade for free, we wanted to just give our attention to them.  

    Public will get their hands on it before you know it.Site will be back up later today with an all new design, look, plans  and pricing.  And we will have a nice discount just because we made you all wait.